Kremlin Declines To Comment On Petition By Soldiers' Mothers To End Special Operation

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th November, 2022) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday declined to comment on a petition filed by mothers of mobilized and conscript soldiers calling for an end to Russia's special operation in Ukraine, saying he had not seen it.

On Sunday, an initiative group of mothers of mobilized and conscript soldiers, together with Russia's Feminist Anti-War Resistance movement, launched a petition on change.org, asking for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and the return of all Russian soldiers home.

"No, you know, unfortunately, I haven't seen it, so I cannot comment. To be honest, I don't know what kind of organization it is, so I can't say anything," Peskov told a briefing, when asked to comment on the petition.

Asked about the Kremlin's attitude to the initiative, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a meeting with mothers of soldiers last week, Peskov also refrained from providing any assessments, saying he didn't "understand what kind of act it is and what they (mothers) mean.

"

"I haven't read it, so it would be wrong to comment without reading it," the Kremlin spokesman added.

Putin ordered a partial mobilization in the country on September 21, the day after the Donetsk and Luhansk breakaway republics, as well as the Russian-controlled parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, scheduled referendums on accession to Russia.

The partial mobilization was prompted by the need to control the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) contact line between Ukrainian- and Russian-controlled territories, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. He said only 1% of Russia's total mobilization resource, or about 300,000 reservists, would be mobilized. The partial mobilization was declared over on October 29.